Shakespeare and the Audiences of the Greek Traveling Actors
Part of : Γράμμα : περιοδικό θεωρίας και κριτικής ; Vol.15, No.1, 2007, pages 175-192
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Pages:
175-192
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Abstract:
The examination of the social and performative fields of the first GreekShakespearian performances in the nineteenth century reveals the complexprocess that led to the formation of the first Greek audiences, the aspiringbourgeoisie of the newly formed Greek state. In contrast to the exclusionistEuropean vision of the theater sustained by the ruling elite ofAthens, the practices of low class traveling actors and inexperiencedGreek audiences generated an alternative popularizing aesthetics. Theappropriation of Shakespeare in a semi-literate context of performanceand reception at various theatrical spaces located within and outside theprescribed boundaries of new Greece succeeded in promoting an affirmativeutopian vision that expressed the collective yearnings of the Greeksubjects at large for communal participation and European integration.The dissolution of the hegemonic associations that this position entailsmakes the social field of the nascent Greek theater a place in which ameaningful transformation of Shakespeare’s dramas was possible.
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Keywords:
Shakespeare, traveling actors, audience, theater
